WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 581: Episode 5: Villain (6)

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Was this how a criminal arrested somewhere unexpected felt?

I resented Uncle Dansu a little as he lay there, unaware of how I felt. If he had chosen Jophiel during patron selection, none of this would have happened.

I spoke to Killer King as he approached.

"Wait. Hear me out first."

"I'm not interested in the excuses of someone who massacred fifteen or so people right from the start."

"No, didn't you ask whether I had anything left to say?"

It seemed [Eye of Sin] had recorded the nineteen people I killed through "Incitement Murder" as "sin."

It was unfair.

I wanted to tell him everything. That I was the person who wrote Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, and that the people I had killed would later become villains called the "Church of Life."

"You look wronged. You think your killings were justified, don't you? Because this is that kind of world."

In a sense, he had hit the mark, so I had nothing to say.

"The Readers' Association scum were just like you."

"Readers' Association?"

Killer King silently looked toward his younger sister. Literary Girl 64 firmly shook her head. It seemed she did not want to fight me.

"Yerin. We have to kill him now. Eye of Sin isn't wrong. He's dangerous."

"......"

"Just like when we caught the Readers' Association lot. I'll finish him off."

The moment I heard that, the back of my head throbbed.

"Wait."

An unpleasant feeling suddenly began creeping up from my toes.

"You killed real people?"

"Are there real people and fake people?"

"You know what I mean. Did you kill other readers?"

「"No one who read Revelation to the end is a bad person."」

I did not completely agree with Gyeong Se-in. There were surely good people and evildoers among readers.

Still, regardless of good or evil, there was definitely a bond shared only by those who had read the story.

At least, I wanted to believe that fellow "readers," people who knew this world's tragedy, shared a promise not to turn away.

"The Readers' Association members deserve to die."

Yet there was a reader before my eyes who denied that belief.

A reader who had read this story ninety-nine times, perhaps someone who understood this world better than anyone else.

I said to him, "If you die here, you really die."

"Good. They were a menace to society to begin with."

After hearing that, I was certain. This man called Killer King was out of his mind.

If I left him alone, not only would other readers be in danger, but the entire Scenario would fall apart.

But could I defeat them?

Killer King alone was one thing, but Literary Girl 64 over there was a monster who could face the Warden of the Dark alone.

That was when everything around me began turning monochrome.

「Time stopped.」

A sign of the skill □□.

But there was no one who seemed likely to make an "unexpected move."

Then why?

[Your proficiency has reached a certain level.]

I soon found out why.

[The Exclusive Skill □□ has evolved!]

[The conditions for using □□ have been partially relaxed.]

[This skill will activate in an emergency when at least one of the following conditions is met.]

+

1. A specific character attempts an "unexpected action."

2. An important "event" branch occurs. (Limited to three times per day.)

+

Perhaps because I had used the skill so often, an additional activation condition had been added to □□.

The fact that the skill had activated now meant an important "event" branch was approaching.

And in Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, "important" was another word for "dangerous."

[You have entered Snowfield.]

+

# The Villain’s Crisis

「At that moment, Inho Cheon □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□......」

* Based on your current proficiency, you may add up to 200 characters.

+

[You can remain in Snowfield for a total of five minutes.]

Judging from Killer King and Literary Girl 64's condition, they did not seem likely to rush at me right away.

That meant the danger was not coming from them.

When I looked up at the ceiling, I found the culprit behind this incident.

Since when had they been there?

Three shadows were clinging to the wall and descending through the pitch-black shade of the Dark Fold.

A trail of footprints stamped on the wall proved how they had approached so stealthily.

[Thief Rat’s Footprints].

It was not as impressive as Lee Jihye's [ghost walk], but in the darkness, it was a stealth movement skill that allowed its user to move as quietly as a dead rat.

All three were holding something like small tear gas grenades, so they clearly had not approached with good intentions.

At this distance, they would attack in around 1.8 seconds.

If I left them alone, Killer King and Literary Girl 64 would die or, at the very least, suffer critical injuries.

Killer King had tried to kill me anyway, so I could have simply let it happen.

Still,

「The Villain’s Crisis.」

I looked at the scene title and thought.

Whose crisis was this?

I began typing.

[You have described plausible content.]

[The success rate for recreating this description is 90%.]

[You have sufficient Plausibility.]

[Reader feedback is being checked.]

+

rlaehrwk37 : Oh?

+

[Scene recreation has succeeded.]

[You have exited Snowfield.]

「At that moment, Inho Cheon hurled the thorn in his right hand forward.」

"What-"

Killer King and Literary Girl 64, their faces pale, rolled away from the attack.

But my thorn had not been aimed at them.

Piyuuuu!

The Level 20 Strength converted into kinetic energy pierced the Dark Fold, and the shadow hidden within tore apart with a harsh sound.

Something dripped from between the Dark Folds, then something exploded in midair.

Sizzle!

Thick purple smoke poured out. I immediately recognized what it was.

Deadly poisonous fog.

Killer King's face turned blue.

"Yerin!"

His sister, whose Agility was high, swiftly grabbed her brother and retreated to my side.

I raised both hands to show that I had no intention of attacking. Literary Girl 64 laid Killer King on the floor and began retching. It seemed she had inhaled the deadly poisonous fog.

I asked Killer King, "Who are those guys?"

"You should know better than..."

"If I knew, would I be asking?"

Killer King tried to answer, then began coughing up blood.

His poisoning was worse.

This was not ordinary deadly poisonous fog. Was it poison extracted directly from a Poison Rhino's anal sac?

I took out two Ellain Monkey's Lungs I had bought for emergencies, clamped one in my mouth, and handed the other to Killer King.

Killer King's eyes wavered for a moment.

"Hurry and put it in your mouth. Before you die."

Just before he took the lung and put it in his mouth, Killer King muttered in a small voice.

"They're the Readers' Association."

Readers' Association. I see.

So those were the people.

The Seven Apostles at least had the cute habit of using Dionysus's Indirect Messages as code words, but those people apparently did not have anything like that.

Sssss.

As expected, men with Ellain Monkey's Lungs in their mouths emerged from the thick purple fog.

Looking closely, all three had dense gray fur growing over their faces.

I immediately activated [Reader Comment List].

[The Exclusive Skill Reader Comment List has been activated.]

[This individual is not a reader.]

It was strange.

Wasn't the Readers' Association the name of a club for readers?

Just in case, I activated [Character Profile].

Then,

[The Exclusive Skill Character Profile has activated!]

[As you are viewing multiple characters, it has temporarily changed to Character Summary Profile.]

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Name: Yun Sinmin

Patron: Plague-Bringing Rat

Exclusive Attribute: Ratman (Rare)

Total Stats: [Constitution Lv.15], [Strength Lv.15], [Agility Lv.15], [Mana Lv.8]

+

Name: Jeong Hyeonse

Patron: Plague-Bringing Rat

Exclusive Attribute: Ratman (Rare)

Total Stats: [Constitution Lv.13], [Strength Lv.15], [Agility Lv.15], [Mana Lv.6]

+

Name: Kang Junsik

Patron: Plague-Bringing Rat

Exclusive Attribute: Ratman (Rare)

Total Stats: [Constitution Lv.15], [Strength Lv.15], [Agility Lv.14], [Mana Lv.4]

+

Amazingly, all three men were "characters." They even had the same Patron and Exclusive Attribute.

Plague-Bringing Rat.

And Ratman.

They had all become Incarnations of the same Constellation and chosen an inhuman path.

Inhuman species were strong in the beginning, but would people who had read the entire novel really choose the path of an inhuman species?

There was no way.

In other words, they were not "readers."

Then why did Killer King call them the Readers' Association?

That was when I heard squeaking near my ear.

[Your Exclusive Attribute has activated.]

[You understand the settings of this language.]

[The Ratman language is being interpreted.]

Then I heard voices.

―Killer King?

―Poisoned.

―And the sister?

―The same. She can move, but she won't last long.

―There's someone we haven't seen before.

I was getting more confused.

That was information only readers would know.

But how could people who had only been possessed for three days be like that?

"Excuse me, you guys."

The men did not seem to hear me and continued discussing things among themselves.

―If he has monkey lungs, he's definitely an apostle.

―One of the Seven Apostles?

―Highly likely.

―We should eliminate him.

Their teamwork was so smooth it could not even be compared to our ragtag group of three.

[The Constellation Sinister Schemer looks down at its Incarnation with contempt.]

Just then, Gyeong Se-in and Uncle Dansu, who had been sprawled on the floor, began convulsing.

It seemed the deadly poisonous fog was beginning to spread this far.

Fortunately, both had eaten a lot of Ground Rat meat before falling asleep, so they would endure a little longer due to its detoxifying effect.

"Squinty."

When I turned my head, Killer King was looking at me, gasping for breath. His entire face had turned a deep purple, so it seemed even the Ellain Monkey's Lungs could not handle it.

"You're... not with the Readers' Association?"

"I told you, I don't know anything about them."

[The other party has confirmed that your words are true.]

Killer King opened his mouth.

"I'll believe you. You certainly-"

"I'm not a prophet, but I know this isn't the time for us to fight each other."

Killer King nodded and handed the Ellain Monkey's Lungs he had been holding in his mouth to his sister.

"Yerin, sorry. This time, you have to do it alone."

Literary Girl 64 vehemently shook her head, but eventually accepted the lungs with trembling hands.

Killer King continued through coughs.

"The enemies are low-grade inhuman species. Around Tier 8 or 9. I don't know their pattern, but... you should be able to handle them by yourself."

I thought I understood how this brother and sister fought. Killer King, the older brother, played the role of the brain, while his younger sister handled the actual fighting.

Killer King looked my way.

"I don't trust you. But..."

"You owe me one."

"If I can repay it."

With those words, Killer King closed his eyes. He did not seem dead. It looked like he was trying to endure the poisoning by minimizing his energy consumption.

I said to his sister, "Please take on just one of them. We have to finish this before your brother dies."

As if determined to manage somehow, Literary Girl 64 staggered to her feet.

The Ratmen seemed to have finished analyzing our strength by then.

―Random item Box secured.

―There is a variable. Will this be all right?

―Killer King must be eliminated here. If we don't remove him now, there may not be another chance.

The Ratmen exchanged sinister looks.

[The Constellation Plague-Spreading Rat smiles wickedly.]

The next moment, a chill ran down the back of my neck.

In the purple fog, I had a hallucination of hundreds of rats staring at me.

The Ratmen sprang up like coiled springs and surrounded me.

The Ratmen were a Tier-8 inhuman species.

All three had outstanding stats, and perhaps because of their Attribute bonuses, they moved incredibly fast.

Fortunately, Literary Girl 64 charged forward like a flash and took on one Ratman, beginning a fierce hand-to-hand fight.

Her movements were slower than before because of the poisoning, but she still seemed more than capable of fighting one Ratman.

Two remained.

The Ratman's elongated claws brushed past my head with clear killing intent.

This was terrifying. One wrong move and I would die.

Inwardly, I recited a spell to make myself stronger.

「I am Yu Junghyeok. Yu Junghyeok. A ridiculously strong Yu Junghyeok. A handsome Yu Junghyeok.」

[The Exclusive Skill Incitement Lv.3 has activated!]

Of course, telling myself I was Yu Junghyeok would not actually make me Yu Junghyeok.

But at least it would make me brave like Yu Junghyeok. And maybe I could imitate him a little.

「A pale trajectory tore through the air.」

Sugagagak!

A Level 20 Strength strike cut through the air, tearing open the Ratman's arm.

Surprised by my Strength, the Ratman leaped back.

―Dangerous. The variable's Strength Level exceeds 20.

―He isn't afraid of being hurt. No ordinary bastard.

―Everyone, fall back. Change the plan.

The Ratmen quickly widened the distance and took long tubes from inside their clothes.

I had a bad feeling.

"Get out of the way!"

I instinctively lunged forward and swung my sword. I heard something strike the Ground Rat Sword and ricochet away, but I could not deflect all of them.

"Ah."

When I looked beside me, a long needle was embedded in Literary Girl 64's thigh.

I quickly supported her and retreated.

Literary Girl 64's complexion rapidly turned purple.

Damn it.

―The variable's Agility Level also exceeds 20.

―Is there already an apostle with two stats over 20?

―It may be an apostle possessing a named character.

―Kim Dokja Company?

As they said that, the Ratmen simultaneously stretched out their necks and looked into the air, like terminals awaiting a signal.

―They say no.

―Then eliminate the variable here.

At that moment, a horrifying hypothesis occurred to me.

The Ratmen before me were not "readers," yet they knew information that only readers could know.

That meant someone was giving them that information.

I reflexively looked up into the air.

「Had every reader of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint really possessed an Incarnation?」

I felt a gaze watching me from beyond the pitch-black darkness.

[The Constellation Plague-Bringing Rat is looking down at you.]

I gave a bitter smile and thought.

Suyeong. Doesn't this have a Plausibility problem?

Footnotes:

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